UK Infrastructure Bank Bill [HL]

Debate between Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth and Baroness Hayman

Consideration of Commons amendments
Tuesday 14th March 2023 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Hayman (CB)]

I declare my interest as co-chair of Peers for the Planet and rise to speak to my Motion 3A, which as the Minister said would reintroduce nature-based solutions into the definition of infrastructure in which the UK Infrastructure Bank may invest.

We had some very helpful conversations after Report and the debates in the other place, and I think we have now reached a highly satisfactory position on this amendment, in no small part due to the Minister’s customary constructive approach to the debates that have taken place in this House, for which I am very grateful.

Of course, the original amendment included the “circular economy”, and I know that there will be some disappointment that that is not included now, but the bank’s strategy is reassuring on that issue. Anyone who listened to the item on the “Today” programme this morning about data centres using the heat they normally have to dispose of to heat up the water in local swimming pools will have heard a lovely example of how we need to put those sorts of issues together.

I thank all the Members of this House who have taken part in the debates, and in particular those who signed the various iterations of my amendment, including the noble Lord, Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth, the noble Baroness, Lady Jones of Whitchurch, and the noble Lord, Lord Teverson. This amendment has had significant cross-party support because of the increased recognition that nature-based solutions have a critical role to play in the fulfilment of the bank’s objectives. The Chancellor’s strategic steer in 2022 encouraged the bank to

“explore early opportunities in nature-based solutions”

and aim to have

“a positive impact on the development of the market”.

The bank has since published a discussion paper setting out its initial thinking on how it can invest in and support the growth of natural capital markets, and I look forward to the results of this consultation.

The discussion paper clearly explains the importance of natural capital as a form of infrastructure and the vital contributions it makes to our society and economy, often in ways which are more cost-effective to the taxpayer. Carbon removals through creating and restoring woodlands, wetlands and peatlands, flood mitigation measures, providing “clean and reliable” water supplies, underpinning our food security and bolstering our resilience to climate change: these constitute numerous examples of how we can deploy nature-based solutions to support our infrastructure and provide social, economic and environmental benefits. There is also an ever-increasing recognition of the key role that nature can play in solving climate change, nature being our biggest asset with which to fight it. Nature-based solutions also provide significant co-benefits, such as jobs and good health and well-being outcomes, with considerable economic advantages.

I welcome that the UK is leading on the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures, but there is an average $700 billion funding gap for protecting and restoring nature globally, and evidence that more needs to be done to help market participants mainstream and scale these products alongside growing investor demand. This simple addition to the definition of infrastructure in the Bill sends a strong signal to the markets that the UK recognises this and the Government are serious about taking action to help build and develop this nascent market. It also provides certainty to the bank, which recognises that it has a role in developing capacity towards a pipeline of investable projects and is poised to act. It will encourage others to do the same and further develop the UK finance sector’s position as a leader in this important emerging new market.

As I said, I am very grateful to the Minister and her officials for the support they have given and the resolution that I think we have reached.

[Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Con)]

I support the noble Baroness, Lady Hayman, in her proposed amendment and congratulate her on her tenacity in pursuing this issue. She has achieved something notable, and I thank her very much indeed. Account being taken of nature-based solutions improves the Bill and, on that basis, I also congratulate the Minister. My noble friend has proved herself to be a listening Minister, and the Government have taken a very common-sense approach, which improves the Bill. It was previously a good Bill, and it is now a better Bill after changes made in this House and the approach of the Minister and the Government.

I do not propose to detain the House, except to say that I agree with much of what the noble Lord, Lord Teverson, said in Committee and at Second Reading. I regret that we have not gone a bit further, but at least we have an improvement in this legislation. On that basis, I once again congratulate the Government.

Social Housing (Regulation) Bill [HL]

Debate between Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth and Baroness Hayman

Committee stage
Tuesday 6th September 2022 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Hayman (CB)]

My Lords, it may be helpful to the Committee to continue the theme of energy efficiency, rather than going through the amendments numerically, so I will do so. I declare my interest as co-chair of Peers for the Planet. As the noble Baroness, Lady Pinnock, said, I have Amendment 21 in this group, and I am very grateful for the support of the noble Lords, Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth and Lord Foster of Bath, who have added their names to it.

At Second Reading of the Bill in July, there was similar support from across the House—on all Benches—for action on energy efficiency in the social housing stock. The Minister himself described action as a “must”, but I am afraid he stopped there in describing how that action would actually be implemented. As the noble Baroness, Lady Pinnock, said, social housing tenants are among the most vulnerable in the current energy crisis. The Government’s own most recent data shows that 72% of new lead tenants were not in employment; 20% of new lettings were reserved to those who were statutorily homeless. Research by the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit shows that houses in EPC band D, which are 35% of social housing, will pay £600 more a year under the cap as it is at the moment than those in band C, and forecasts from Cornwall Insight suggest that that could be doubled next year.

The money that we are led to believe will be spent in subsidising—paying for—those bills is money that literally goes up in smoke. The money spent on home insulation and energy efficiency is money that does not have to be spent year after year when we have an energy price crisis. This was recognised by the Government in the clean growth strategy in 2017, when they committed to consultation on minimum energy performance standards in social housing, but we have seen no plan—not even a consultation on a plan or a plan on a consultation. Hence the need to take action in the Bill to put the requirement in primary legislation and get moving with doing this.

As the noble Baroness said, this amendment is more detailed than hers. We have framed it as a duty on the Government to publish a strategy. I hope that others will agree that this is the most appropriate approach. It should not be a duty on social housing providers to improve properties without any government support, nor a duty on government to go into properties that they do not own and forcibly improve them without landlord and tenant consent. A duty for a strategy will require input from social housing providers, tenants and community groups and the specialist and general firms who carry out the work.

The amendment is relatively simple. Proposed new subsection (1) gives the social housing regulator the power to set standards in relation to energy demand—a slightly different approach from that in Amendment 1 —and requires the regulator to have regard to the Government’s strategy on this topic when it does so. Proposed new subsection (2), which is the meat of it, requires the Government to set out an energy reduction strategy, with four key points.

The first is the rollout of low-carbon heat, so that it accounts for 100% of installations by 2035. The low-carbon heat could equally well come from heat pumps or local heat networks. This is simply putting a commitment that the Government have already made, but are not making a lot of progress with, on a statutory footing.

The second is an EPC rating of C for all social housing properties by 2028. The Committee on Climate Change has recommended that year; the Government have suggested 2030, but it is important that we make progress now.

The third point is to have interim targets for the first two points. We have all seen the dangers of putting very high-level commitments out in principle while not seeing any plan for their implementation and no milestone so that we can tell how far we are going. Interim targets would give transparency for tracking the government target for energy-efficiency improvements made each year and would maintain momentum.

The fourth point is a plan to support social housing providers in engaging with one another, the social housing regulator, and a single source of government advice. This is really important. One of the things that people are flailing around for is the best way to do things in the current crisis. It is tremendously important that the Government, who have referred to providing a source of advice, do so urgently, so that we do not all reinvent wheels all over the place. Proposed new subsection (3) requires the Government to consult the Climate Change Committee, which has significant expertise in this area, when producing their strategy—another belt and braces to ensure that we are making progress.

Ideally, we would be tackling energy efficiency across all fields. There is a huge gain to be made there. The noble Lords, Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth and Lord Whitty, and I will be tabling amendments to the Energy Bill for a broader government strategy. However, we can and should make progress now with this particularly vulnerable group of people. As I said, 2017 was the first time that this was mooted by the Government. The adage is that the best time to plant a tree is 10 years ago. The best time to have begun this strategy was five years ago, but the second-best time to plant a tree is today. I hope that the Minister will respond by doing this now.

[Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Con)]

My Lords, it is a great pleasure to follow the noble Baroness, Lady Hayman, and to support her in this amendment, along with the noble Lord, Lord Foster of Bath, who has also added his name to it. I declare my interests as published in the register. I am also a member of Peers for the Planet. It sounds like saying that I am a member of Alcoholics Anonymous, not that I have ever had to do that. This is an extremely important amendment.

As has been noted, at Second Reading there was very strong support from around the House for the Bill’s objectives, and I am clear that that will remain the case. There is also strong support from around the Committee for the Government’s commitment to achieving net zero, and for the work of the Committee on Climate Change. What we need to do, through this legislation, is provide some heft to that commitment, because what is lacking, as the noble Baroness noted, is a road map to take us to the very noble aim of net zero. As the noble Baroness, Lady Pinnock, rightly said, since Second Reading, it has become even more evident how important this is—in very graphic terms, with the eye-watering price of energy and energy security centre stage following the dreadful situation in Ukraine. I think that is recognised by the incoming Prime Minister, but I say to the Minister, who has a long list of things to take up with the incoming Prime Minister and Ministers, that this is an opportunity for a very early demonstration of this Government’s commitment to tackling this very serious issue by tackling not just climate change but the energy security issue and, not least, the eye-watering cost of energy that we face currently.

At this juncture it is clear, as clear as it can be, that any action to reduce energy demand is sensible and vital. As is often said, the energy that is cheapest is the energy that we do not use. One thing we can perhaps take some comfort from, in a slightly bizarre way, is that we have got more ground to make up in this country than many other countries in relation to energy efficiency. There is a lot we can be doing; there is massive scope for energy efficiency and, indeed, for demand reduction, which this amendment is geared to. By reducing energy demand, we contribute to the fight for net zero, we contribute to helping ease the massive cost of energy and we also contribute to our energy security. These three pillars are all vital in this battle, and this amendment—a very modest amendment, really—would contribute to all three. The commitment to the low-carbon heat target of 100% of new installations of heating appliances and a minimum EPC rating of C for all social housing is, I believe, achievable and vital.

I appeal to the Government to come forward with a positive programme of engagement with social housing landlords, and advice, also very sensible and provided for in this amendment. I am sure it would have support from all corners of the Committee and would contribute in a very positive way to something that we know our country needs to do. I trust that the Government will demonstrate their commitment to net zero, to easing the cost of energy and to achieving energy security by supporting this amendment. It is a practical, pragmatic, sensible response to the energy crisis, will be seen as such, and will be seen as an early demonstration of the commitment of this Government. So I hope that is what the Minister will say when she responds to this group of amendments.

Immigration: Housing

Debate between Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth and Baroness Hayman

Thursday 19th January 2017 Lords Chamber

[Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth]

My Lords, the noble Lord raises an important issue in relation to asylum seekers and housing and services for them. I have experienced this in going around the country and visiting particular communities. I will write to the noble Lord, if I may, on the particular point about G4S, and again I will ensure that that is copied to the Library.

[Baroness Hayman (CB)]

My Lords, given what the Minister has said about the continuing need for migrant labour in this country and the dependence, as recognised by the Government, of our health and social services on that labour, is it not time that noble Lords stopped blaming those who are suffering from the housing shortage and actually focused on the remedies for what has been a long-standing problem in this country?

[Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Con)]

My Lords, I assure the noble Baroness that I am not part of that blame culture: I do not do that and I am very committed to ensuring that we address the existing housing shortage. As she will know, we are committed to building 1 million homes in this Parliament and a recent National Audit Office report indicated that we are on target for that. As she and other noble Lords will know, there remains beyond that a massive problem to address, but we are seeking to do just that.

Philippines: Typhoon Haiyan

Debate between Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth and Baroness Hayman

Tuesday 3rd February 2015 Lords Chamber

[Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth]

As I said, the United Kingdom has been the largest single donor, eclipsing even the United States—which, of course, is a far richer country and has far stronger ties with the Philippines. We are committed to ensuring that all the aid that we have contributed is spent on ensuring that this dreadful disaster is met and on trying to provide resilience against future disasters.

[Baroness Hayman (CB)]

My Lords, I declare an interest as a trustee of the Disasters Emergency Committee. Following on from the point of the noble Lord, Lord Avebury, does the Minister agree that, in addition to the Government’s response, the British public responded to the appeal with enormous generosity and that the independent assessment of the results of that generosity has shown that UK aid and humanitarian agencies have provided highly effective and timely help on the ground?

[Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth]

I join the noble Baroness in paying tribute to what the charitable sector has done. It always responds magnificently in the United Kingdom, and it certainly did in relation to this disaster. Of course, the United Kingdom has also given through the EU, so we have actually given in addition to the sums that we have given as the single largest donor.

Developing World: Maternal and Neonatal Mortality

Debate between Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth and Baroness Hayman

Thursday 15th January 2015 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Hayman (CB)]

My Lords, I am grateful for the opportunity to introduce this debate, and delighted that noble Lords from all Benches of your Lordships’ House are planning to contribute on this important issue. I declare my interests in health and development, particularly my chairmanship of the external advisory group of the Centre for Maternal and Newborn Health at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine.

It was in this role that last year I visited Zimbabwe and saw for myself the power of the Making it Happen programme run by the centre in 11 countries, supported by DfID. I saw UK volunteers, an obstetrician and a midwife, together with Zimbabwean master trainers who had been through the course before, supported by the country’s Ministry of Health, running the course for Zimbabwean health workers, giving them the skills to save the lives of mothers and babies and to pass on those skills to their colleagues to ensure sustainability and improved services countrywide.

I will step back from the specific to address the scale of the problem. The statistics are chilling. Some 300,000 women die every year; 800 women die every day in pregnancy and childbirth; 50 will die in the course of this short debate. There are an estimated 2.6 million stillbirths and 3 million neonatal deaths every year; half of those neonatal deaths occur in the first 24 hours of life. A child dies somewhere in the world every five seconds, overwhelmingly of preventable causes.

These maternal and neonatal deaths are not evenly distributed. The maternal mortality ratio shows the highest discrepancy: the greatest gap between high and low income settings of all international health indicators. In the UK, the maternal mortality ratio is eight per 100,000. In Sierra Leone, it is 110 per 100,000. That is the last figure that we have; I hate to think what the figure will be for the last 12 months when the ravages of Ebola have put into abeyance the most basic health services that were available in the past. The average for neonatal mortality in developed countries is 3.7 per 1,000 live births; in southern Africa and south-east Asia it is 10 times that; 99% of all maternal deaths and 98% of all neonatal deaths occur in low or middle-income countries.

Within developing countries there are wide variations, with the poorest, the youngest, the least educated, and rural women most at risk. The deaths are not the end of the story. For every woman who dies in childbirth, it is estimated that 20 to 30 live but suffer lifelong morbidity such as fistula. The health and survival of babies is dependent on the health and survival of mothers, not only in the quality of antenatal, intra-partum and post-partum care, but evidenced by the fact—I have lost the reference for this statistic, but I am sure someone will tell me—that a motherless child is 10 times more likely to die in the first two years of its life than a child who has a mother to care for them.

It was the recognition of this tsunami of suffering and the obstacle to development that the figures represent—because we all know how crucial women are to development—that led to the introduction of millennium development goals 4 and 5, of reducing child deaths by two-thirds and maternal deaths by 75% by 2015. When the Minister comes to answer the question posed in the title of this debate, I am certain that she will outline the considerable progress that has been made since 1990.

I pay tribute to the work that has been done in developing countries by DfID and other international agencies in just about halving those deaths. The figures have been helped of course by the progress in other MDGs, for example in relation to HIV/AIDS and malaria, and perhaps point us again, looking forward, to the importance of joined-up healthcare and healthcare for all.

However, it is disappointing that the progress that has been made has, again, not been evenly distributed, and that some of the countries that have the worst figures, and which need the greatest improvements, are ones that have seen the least change in their statistics. I ask the Minister to address the issue of how, post-2015, we attend to the unfinished business in the millennium development goals and ensure that we do not take our eye off the ball in these hugely important areas where we need to make sustained efforts in order to continue with the progress made so far.

I have not said a lot so far about the causes of maternal and newborn mortality, and how this terrible toll of death and suffering can be reduced. That is partly because when I asked a local expert for help in preparing for this debate and what she thought I ought to stress and what ought to be said, she shrugged her shoulders and said, “There is nothing new to say. We know what the issues are and we know how they can be addressed. What are needed are the resources and the political will to do it”.

You can go through the list of causes of maternal and newborn death: poor nutrition, existing medical conditions—which are often the diseases of the poor, such as malaria—unsafe abortions, infections, eclampsia, haemorrhage and obstruction in labour. The last three of these can be addressed by specific programmes of maternity care, but the first are much wider issues relating to water and sanitation, education for girls, an end to child marriage, immunisation programmes, and access to family planning and antenatal intra-partum and post-partum care from trained and skilled birth attendants. That is where programmes such as Making a Difference can have profound effects: in the first phase of those programmes, maternal death rates in areas where they had been implemented reduced by as much as 50%. The decision we have to make globally is about the priority that we give to the quality of women’s lives and the numbers of women’s deaths.

In the early 17th century, Joseph Hall, who was then Bishop of Exeter, wrote:

“Death borders upon our birth, and our cradle stands in the grave”.

That is no longer true in this country. It need no longer be true in the developing world. But to stop it being the reality for millions in that world, we have to put the resources and the priority into work to reduce maternal and neonatal deaths.

[Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Con)]

As the debate gets under way, I respectfully remind noble Lords that this is a time-limited debate.